The Girl who Disappeared
by TatiElina
Summary: AU. 16 year old Roy Harper's life isn't so bad. Except he can't remember what happened last night or why there's a missing person who was last seen with him. Roy and Dick Grayson are on the case. Chapter 9. Dinah and Oliver's wedding, Ollie and Roy have a heart to heart, and...THE END. COMPLETE. Thanks for reading.
1. Chapter 1

Hello. This is my first Roy Harper fic, which yes, is a travesty, since he is my absolute favorite DC sidekick...er...partner. (And yes, I adore Richard Grayson, so this is saying something...hm, maybe I love them equally. IDK.)

The inspiration for this is my own stupidity, and my recent experience with memory loss, though I should clarify that my only sin is eating a delicious burrito and having no recollection of it. #sad

* * *

 **The Girl who Disappeared**

Roy Harper's eyes flitted awake, and he mentally cursed the many windows in his room. Okay, there was only 3, but still, they let the sunlight in, and the sunlight was nobody's friend.

He took in his surroundings, his clothes were everywhere. Shoes, garbage, and ... a milk carton? Yes, a milk carton adorned his room. He hoped he was in the house alone, he didn't want to have to deal with an angry Oliver Queen, or a disappointed Dinah Lance, or worse, both of them getting on his case, and then arguing with each other about him. Yeah, that was the worst.

Roy looked for his alarm clock, finding it on the floor, beneath one of his hoodies, he secretly prayed that he hadn't completely missed school, as he lifted the hoodie and looked at the red, glowering numbers. 2:45pm. School got out at 2:50, and he was screwed.

The school would have already called Oliver Queen, and he wasn't sick. No...not really. Sure, he couldn't remember anything from last night, not after 9 pm, or so. That was a lie. He remembered tumbling in to his bedroom, and he had fallen?

"Fuck" He whispered, as he touched his forehead, there was a bump, a pain, and dried up blood. Fuckity fuck.

He had called someone. Yeah, he was sure he'd called one of the Titans for help. Donna? No...

The teenager reached for his phone, relieved to see Dick was the last person he had dialed. Richard Grayson could keep a secret. Richard Grayson was everyone's friend.

He hit the green button and waited. The boy wonder picked up after just one ring, which was surprising, since he was supposedly in school.

"Roy, what the hell!"

Roy was momentarily stunned, not really expecting that sort of greeting from his supposed best friend.

"Um...what? Sorry, are you at school?"

"No, no I am not at school. I pretended to be sick, which wasn't too hard, since I've been _worried_ sick about you!" Roy could hear Dick trying to calm himself down. "You said you'd call when you got home, man. I seriously thought you might have...I don't know..."

"Wait...I said I'd call? Did we hang out last night or something?"

"You don't remember?"

Roy's stomach tensed, and he felt like he might be sick. No, he didn't remember. He remembered being out with Ashley, who had a crush on him. He had taken her to the movies, and then...then...

"I...I guess not"

"Wow, Roy. Seriously? We spent 2 hours together. You were out of it, and starving, so I took you out to grab a bite...you had like 3 burgers, and you ate all my fries. I didn't want you to drive home, but you insisted. You _said_ you'd call when you made it."

Roy took a second to process all the information. How could he have forgotten 2 hours of his life? He didn't remember eating last night, hell, he was currently starving. He tried to remember getting home, but that was a blur too. Oliver must have been out, he was sure he'd remember the man yelling at him, which is exactly what would have happened if he'd come home drunk.

"I'm sorry, bro. I really...all I remember is taking Ashley to the movies."

"Ashley?"

"Yeah, Ashley, remember? You met her at Ollie and Dinah's engagement party-" Ashley was blond, pretty, rich, slightly wild. The 16 year old didn't find her too interesting, not in comparison to the people Speedy associated with.

"Roy. Ashley Bilodeau? Ashley Bilodeau- who was reported missing this morning- Ashley Bilodeau?"

No. No. No. His body went into a state of shock; or maybe it was mind? Yeah, it was all in his head, because suddenly the earth was shattering, and he was sure he was going into a kind of panic that nobody had ever experienced before. His mind was goo. Everything was fake, this wasn't happening. Was he still high? Was he high? When did he get high? No, he was perfectly fine. This was a joke.

A bad joke.

"Roy... are you there? I'm coming over-"

"No! Dick... I...Ashley's fine. I... took her home, last night."

"No you didn't, Roy. Ashley never made it home, it's all over the news. Stay there. I'm coming over."

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

"Roy William Harper!"

Roy groaned. 'That's not Dick's voice...' he thought sarcastically, as he rolled out of bed, still feeling like things were a bit hazy, as he walked out of his room. Downstairs, he could see a pair of annoyed blond adults. Great; he'd wanted them to get married, but not if it meant double the lectures for him. The school had most likely called Oliver to inform him of the unexcused absence. Roy waved. He actually waved.

"Oh...hey, guys" It was probably not the best way to greet them, but he really was at a loss for words. Dinah should be at work. Oliver should probably be at a meeting or something.

Dinah was the first to soften, as he knew she would be. She'd always had a soft spot for him, and in return, he felt like he could trust her. Still, even if he could tell her what happened last night, he didn't want to do it in front of the Green Arrow.

"Roy, are you sick?" She asked, with worried eyes.

He thought of the question, and was grateful for the out. Technically, he _was_ feeling sick.

"Um...yeah" He answered, as sincerely as possible, as he started to walk down the stairs. That's when he noticed Oliver's face. He had gone from mild annoyance to genuine ...anger? Worry? What was that look? Murder-y-eyes?

"What happened to your face?" He asked in a menacing tone. Did he know something? Roy mentally cursed at himself for forgetting the bump and the dried blood on his forehead.

He touched it without much thought, and immediately winced. Yeah, he was an idiot.

"I... hit the sink."

"With your forehead?" Oliver quirked a brow. He knew the boy well, knew when he was lying-Roy would add too many details to his story. When he was telling the truth, he was arrogant about it, as if daring you to prove him wrong. He'd spare as many details as possible if he were telling the truth.

"Yeah, I was feeling sick-maybe something I ate, like the pizza from last night, anyway I was splashing water on my face, and then I just got dizzy, and I was gripping the sink, so I wouldn't fall, but I just, maybe passed out or something-I hit my forehead."

 _Interesting._

"What happened to your car, Roy?"

'My car?' Damn it. He paled at the question, not really remembering anything about his drive home. He pretended not to hear the question, and instead looked at them. They were casually dressed, but seemed to be in a hurry. It suddenly clicked, as he remembered Oliver mentioning that Dinah was dragging him to do wedding cake testing, or looking at floral arrangements, or something terrible like that.

"Um...what?" Had he driven home last night? Was the car not there? Why was everything such a blur?

"Roy, I came as fast as I could-" _That_ was Dick's voice. The boy wonder had let himself in through the main entrance, but froze when he realized what he'd walked into. Roy and his mentor...s? All 3 stared at him, and it suddenly struck him that Oliver might talk to Bruce about the visit, and Bruce would know he hadn't been sick. Great.

"Dick?" Dinah questioned, while the two archers continued to stare. Oliver was clearly trying to figure out what was going on-was that amusement he read on the man's face? Roy...well, Roy didn't look that great.

"Oh, hey guys?"

"What are you doing here, Dick?" Oliver questioned now, quickly glancing at his adopted son, to see if he was panicking. Roy just seemed subdued.

"I came to check on Roy...he mentioned he wasn't feeling great." It was not a great answer, Dick knew, but he also knew that Oliver was not as suspicious, or overbearing as Bruce Wayne, and hopefully the man would just let it be.

The blond haired man took pause, and then let out a genuine laugh, Dinah glared at him, but it just made him laugh harder.

"Whatever, clearly you boys are up to something, but Dinah and I have to go, so...figure it out?" He knew Dinah would harp on him later about being so nonchalant, or reckless, or whatever, but the boys were 16, and he felt they should have freedom to make mistakes, and clean up their own messes. So, with that, he and his fiancee said their goodbyes and headed out.

"Your parents are cool" Richard Grayson whispered, jealous, but not sure why.

"They're not my parents" Roy grumbled, as he sat on the stairs an laid back, letting out an exasperated groan. "Man, what is going on? What happened last night?"

"You tell me, Roy, what the hell? What do you remember?" He asked, as he walked over, and sat on the floor, in front of Roy. They needed to figure this out, and they _had_ to find the missing girl.

"...nothing. I-"

"You have to think-"

"That's what I'm doing!"

"Hey, don't get snappy with me, I'm just trying to help you stay out jail-"

At that Roy let out another groan, he felt a pit in his stomach that was probably never going to go away, or maybe it would, maybe if he knew Ashley was okay...

"Please don't say that. Oh! Ollie said something about my car...maybe we should check it out?"

* * *

"What the actual fu-"

"My baby!" Roy cried as he stared at his yellow convertible. He'd gotten it for his birthday, and it was his pride and joy. It wasn't exactly the arrow car, but it was yellow like it, and Roy took great care of 'her'. Now, the car was covered in mud, and half of the side mirror was broken off. He had crashed into something.

"Roy..."

"I can't believe this, how could I have done this!" He was annoyed at the world. He was mad at himself, he was mad at Dick, who had begun inspecting the car as if Roy was some sort of criminal, he was mad at nature, and-

"Roy!"

"What?" He yelled, turning to his best friend, who was pointing at something on what remained of the side mirror.

The teenager didn't know what to do or say, it was blood.

Blood.

Somebody's blood was on his car.

His mind didn't know how to process, but his body sure did; he threw up last night's dinner.

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

**The Girl Who Disappeared**

Chapter 3

Richard Grayson groaned as his cell phone rang. Bruce.

He had already ignored the last two calls, and knew that it wouldn't be wise to ignore a third. Still, what was his game plan here? He couldn't be honest. Roy Harper was still trying to clean himself up from all the puke. They'd gone inside, but not before Dick had carefully taken a sample of the blood on the car. There was a possibility that it belonged to a poor animal, right? Right.

His phone finally stopped ringing, and Dick allowed himself to relax for 5 seconds, before a text message came in.

'Call me. NOW'

Okay, he had options. He could call Bruce now, and lie to him. Or he could go home later, and lie to him. Everything would lead to the Batman eventually finding out the truth, and murdering him, so...

He hit the 'call' button and waited.

'Where are you?" The question was surprisingly calm, and Dick actually let himself believe that he could handle the situation; maybe he could actually get away with this.

"Hey, Bruce. I'm at Roy's house."

"...Why?"

"I...I heard he was sick, same symptoms that I was experiencing, and I just wanted to make sure the team hadn't all come down with something. You know, like maybe from a mission or something." That was a possibility, right? The 16 year old waited patiently, hoping that his adoptive father would just let it go. He wasn't sure what had happened to Ashley Bilodeau, but _if_ his best friend was involved in the mess, he wasn't just going to let him deal with it alone.

"Okay, well, you should have told me. Alfred was worried." Oh. Right. Alfred.

"I left him a note..." Even to his ears, he sounded like an inconsiderate prick. He had lived at the mansion for 8 years now, and while Bruce Wayne had adopted him, and Batman had introduced him to a whole new world of Justice and Crime fighting, it was Alfred who had offered him kindness and stability. A note was a douche move.

"Just get back home, Richard. You're not too sick to drive, are you?" No, no, he was not too sick to drive.

"No, I'll be fine-"

"I'll call Ollie and ask him to drive you."

"No, Bruce, really, It's okay."

"..."

"I'll be fine." Dick reaffirmed, and that was that. He didn't know why he felt so lonely all of a sudden. He didn't like to lie, and this all seemed too heavy to deal with, but still, at least he wasn't Roy. Speaking of, the boy had been in his room cleaning up for far too long, and the raven haired boy finally went to check up on him.

"Roy? Roy Harper?" He called out, as he ran up the grand staircase. "Please tell me you haven't lost the plot..."

The red haired boy sighed, as Dick entered his bedroom. He had been trying to wish this all away, but here he was. He was angry. He was worried. He was going to be sick. Again.

"So? What do we do now?" The older boy asked, once again wondering why shitty things happened to him, like literally, all the time.

"We need to get this blood examined somewhere, somewhere that isn't constantly monitored by people we know, and you need to _think_ Roy! What do you remember from last night?"

"I don't remember anything!"

"Oh, come on, try!"

"Seriously, Dick? I told you, I..." He had been at a party? With drugs? No...somebody had given him something. Was it Ashley? He had been stressed out...

"I...I took Ashley to the movies. I was stressed out because..." He looked over at his best friend, he was patiently waiting for Roy to open up. Richard Grayson was perfect. He was a born leader, fearless, and smart...and Roy clamped up. This was embarrassing on every level.

Dick rolled his eyes at the hesitation and looked into the tired green eyes of his friend.

"Listen, Roy, if I'm gonna help you, you need to be honest with me."

"Ugh, you sound like Ollie."

Dick Grayson rolled his eyes at that one, and grabbed Roy's arm, deciding that the first thing they needed to do was find out whose blood was on Roy's car, next, they needed to find Ashley Bilodeau.

"Let's just go, we can't waste time. Maybe we should ask Donna..."

"No!' Roy pulled his arm away at that and gave a horrified look. "Listen Dick. I can't have anyone else knowing about this, and I promise you if I'm responsible, in any way, for Ashley's disappearance, I _will_ take full responsibility, but... I can't right now. This has to stay between you and me, okay?"

"...Okay"

To Be Continued...


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: A thousand thank yous for the lovely reviews!

I've just finished one of my other fics, so this has now moved up to my top 3 stories I'm working to finish. Yay. This chapter is dedicated to my friend, "The Bat Thing" (Cas) because... you once dedicated a chapter of "You Do Good, You Find Good" to me, and it brightened up my life. Haha :)

Chapter 4

Roy Harper could have kissed Dick Grayson. Or hugged him at least, if he'd just stop talking. He was talking about types of blood now, the differences between mammals and reptiles, and did Roy know? Birds were actually dinosaurs? And something about a mother with type O blood cannot give birth to an AB type, and Roy didn't care, he really didn't give a shit.

It was Dick's first comment that had stayed with him, _'not human blood'_ , that was all that had mattered, and yeah, he was sorry to the poor animal he'd manage to smack with his car, and he'd already promised himself he'd stop eating meat for ever...or for a month, but that meant that it wasn't Ashley's blood on his car, and she was fine! She was probably home by now!

"Will you shut the hell up, already?" He managed to say, as Dick gave him a disapproving look while he cleaned up their samples at STAR labs. They hadn't exactly had options, and the boys had figured that Oliver Queen was the least likely to notice their little rendezvous in his company. 'A science project' they'd said when questioned by one of the guards.

"Wow, really, that's the thanks I get?" Roy could have been more grateful, The raven haired boy thought, especially since he was risking being labeled an 'accomplice'. This was the relationship they had though, he and Roy were two sides of the same coin. They had so much in common, and while their personalities were so different, there was a solid friendship, a _brotherhood_.

"No, this is" Roy walked over and gave his best friend the most awkward hug, one that was returned just as awkwardly.

"...Okay, don't do that again." Brotherhood or not, he was still a 16 year old.

"Wasn't planning on it." Roy laughed,allowing himself to feel relieved, though there was still a great big question. Where was Ashley? As if reading his thoughts, Dick began pacing, willing himself to come up with a plan.

"Her parents are organizing another search party tonight Roy, I know it's smart for you to keep your distance, but I could go...?"

"No! Well, I mean, I **_have_** to go too, Dick, I'm not -"

"Where is that you have to go, Roy Harper?"

Both boys turned sharply, almost hitting each other in the act, both recognizing the voice of Oliver Queen. Dick's eyes doubled as he saw who was next to the blond archer. Bruce Wayne. He could feel Roy tense up next to him, and he tried to 'subtly' elbow the redhead in the ribs, to signal that he should remain calm. It was, of course, noticed. Mostly because Roy yelped out an 'ouch!'. Hopeless.

Bruce ,who was staring at him, quirked a brow in expectation, 'What the hell are you doing here?' it asked, and Richard Grayson pretended, for once, that he wasn't so in tune with his guardian.

"Um..."

"We were just going to the tower, Wally is sick too, and so-"

"Okay, let's go ahead and shut that bullshit down" Oliver, in all his grace, snapped at Dick, and then turned back to his boy. "What's going on?"

"Dinah called me, she was worried that you two were up to something, and I happened to agree." Bruce interrupted now, making sure that they felt like there was no choice but to tell the truth. "It wasn't hard to find your whereabouts, by the way, so I really hope you weren't _trying_ to be discrete."

Oh, there it was. Dick immediately felt uncomfortable, insecure and... like a failure. Sure, they _were_ keeping secrets, but did Bruce really have to be such an ass about it? Did everything the man said have to sound like a judgement?

"Okay, Okay, everyone _calm_ down." The older 16 year old laughed, as he nodded at Dick. It held a message. 'Let me take the fall'. Roy knew that the acrobat would do the same for him, for any of his friends really. He was a hero, after all.

"Yes, Dick did come over to help me, but it's all my fault. I crashed my car-Ollie you saw-and I noticed...blood. I was really freaked out, cause I had been drinking a little...and yeah, I deserve all the hate in the world, and probably to go to jail, I don't know...and to have my license taken away, and to..." Okay, he was done giving them ideas.

"Dick helped me find the source. It...was a bird. You can check-" He had held his head down as he word vomited part of his sins, the ones that would get him grounded, but hopefully not thrown in jail. He chanced a glance at the adults in front of him. He could feel Oliver Queen's anger start to engulf the room. Bruce Wayne-or rather Batman- was taking him in, deducing whether he was telling the truth or lying, or something in between.

His best friend, next to him was slowly shaking his head, probably trying to warn him, and back to Ollie, Oh, yup, still angry.

"Roy...you're saying you were so drunk that you didn't know _what_ you hit with your car?" He didn't wait for a response as he turned to Oliver, "I think we need to discuss how long he'll need to stay away from Mount Justice"

"I wasn't drunk..." Roy muttered, annoyed, but also just wanting the earth to swallow him whole.

The blond man, who had still not said a word, not to Roy or anyone, simply nodded his consent to Bruce. Roy had expected this, and honestly, he had bigger things to worry about, but when Dick and Bruce left, and he was suddenly alone with the man who'd given him a home, he felt all the more ready to sink into the earth and never come out.

It wasn't a secret that the relationship with his father wasn't perfect. They saw things differently, they both had tempers, and there was always an underlying layer of crippling resentment. The young 16 year old shook his head, and shrugged his shoulders at the man, unwilling to speak first, but wanting, so badly, to tell him the truth, to have Oliver tell him that it would all be okay. Instead, when Oliver Queen turned his back to him and walked away, Roy simply followed; miserable and feeling like shit.

To Be Continued...


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews! Much appreciated. I'm thinking this mystery (story) will be wrapped up in 3 or so more chapters :)

I've been in a bit of a mourning period after what has happened to my boys, Dick and Roy in the comics, so they each got a one shot. Check them out if you'd like.

"Chum" is a one shot on Dick turned... Ric Grayson. Grr.

"Son of Yesterday" is a one-shot following the death of Roy Harper. Grr some more.

* * *

 **The Girl Who Disappeared**

Chapter 5

Roy walked quietly behind Oliver, not saying anything, not even when they got in the car and the silence was suffocating. The young man chose to look outside his window, and hate his life.

It had never been easy with Oliver, because the man was not a father, not a good one and not a bad one, he just _wasn't_ one. Sure, he pretended to be every once in a while, and it was amazing, it was like everything was alright with the world, but whenever things went askew, he had a tendency to blame Roy, because nothing could ever be Oliver Queen's fault, right?

"..." The green eyed boy took a deep breath, an annoyingly loud and long deep breath, in the hopes that Oliver would say something.

"I'm disappointed, if that's what you're wondering" The man admitted, not understanding how Roy could be so stupid. He'd driven his car while under the influence. It didn't matter if he was drunk or not, the lack of judgement was still evident, and ...it was frightening.

"I'm disappointed in myself, Ollie, you don't have to go into the role of father, or whatever-"

At that, the man turned to glare at him for a second, before turning his eyes back to the road.

"You just don't get it, do you? You made a stupid mistake, and I _get_ to tell you that. I'm not playing pretend here, I _am_ angry and disappointed, and you _are_ grounded." The man seethed, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter than necessary, and forcing himself to focus completely on the street in front of him. He was not going to do this, he wasn't going to let Roy turns things around on him and make himself the victim. He was not moved, not even when he heard the boy next to him start to sniffle.

"Dinah's not here to coddle you, Roy." Was his cold reaction to the scene that was unfolding.

At that, the boy stiffened and he turned to glare at the blond. "I don't need anyone to coddle me! Not you, not Dinah, and I already admitted to making a mistake, I don't understand why you always rub things in my face, and make everything my fault, and you never listen to me-"

"I listen! I mean, no, I'm not perfect, but I try to be there for you, I try to be your friend..."

"I don't need you to be my friend, I just... ugh, forget it!"

At that, Oliver Queen rolled his eyes. Roy had never been great at communication, hell, he wasn't exactly one to give any pointers, but he hated when Roy just left him hanging like that.

"I just...I know we've talked about this before, you're too young to be drinking- even" He kept going, before Roy could explain anything, like he knew the boy would try. "even if it was just one drink, it doesn't matter, I mean how do you hit an animal-"

At that, Oliver stopped talking, because none of this actually made sense. Last night, he and Dinah had been home. Yes, they'd been distracted trying to write their wedding vows, or rather, Dinah had been picking apart what he'd written and demanding that he rewrite the bulk of it, still, they _had_ talked to Roy when the teenager got home. He had sat in between them for a couple of minutes, they would have smelled alcohol on him... but he'd just seemed...animated.

It had been late, and Dinah had asked him to be more considerate-she had worried about him. He'd promised not to make it a habit.

"Roy." The man pulled over suddenly, which Roy found incredibly odd, since they'd be home in a few minutes; could the man really not wait to yell at him?

"...What?" He finally asked, feeling very small under the gaze of the old man.

"Roy... you made Dinah a promise last night, don't you remember?"

The boy's eyes widened, before he looked away, but it was enough for Oliver to realize that no, he _didn't._

"..."

"When you came home, Roy. You made her a promise, _what was it?_ "

Oh shit. A promise? Roy tried hard, really, really hard to remember _anything_ from last night. He'd...driven home. It was stupid, but he had been somewhat in control of his spatial awareness. He remembered telling someone-it must have been Dick-that he was fine to drive home, and then...

Blank. blank.

'Think, Roy!' Nothing.

"Ollie...I..."

"Were you high?"

Had he been? Roy didn't remember, but he knew how Oliver had reacted 11 months ago when Roy had mingled with heroin. The boy didn't want to get kicked out, _again._

"No!" He finally shouted, indignant, but still unsure.

"Where were you last night?"

"With Dick... we had dinner."

"You said you had been on a date."

Oh. Oh...

"..."

"Roy, just tell me the truth...I promise we'll work it out"- Those were Dinah's words. Oliver was a busy, distracted man, but he wasn't stupid, He knew Roy and Dinah had a great relationship, and he understood that it was because Dinah supported Roy, not just with her words, but with actions too. He wanted Roy to know that he too could be there for him.

For Roy, hearing those words, broke something in him, and he started to sob. It wasn't that he didn't want to trust Oliver, but he was afraid. How could someone not remember a whole evening? What had happened during that time? He knew he would have never, not in a million years hurt Ashley, but what it...what if he hadn't prevented something? What if she had gotten hurt? What couldn't he recall?

"Ollie" He gasped out, realizing that the man must be so uncomfortable at the sight on his son clearly going insane-but the man hadn't run away. He was still in the car. His hand had reached out to touch Roy's shoulder in encouragement.

"I don't remember what happened last night, there's nothing there, it's all blank...I...I don't remember. I don't. I don't. I don't..." Panic? Yeah, he figured, as he began to hyperventilate.

To Be Continued...

* * *

 **Jay** -You shall find out soon ;)

 **konohaflameninja** -Thanks so much for reading! I'm glad you like Ollie in this, I definitely understand why people write him as 'totally absent', because he IS a distracted man, haha, but I think that he tries his best, and I just find it so interesting how (on different occasions/comics) both Roy and Oliver have said something like Oliver PRETENDS to be a father...what does that even mean? They have such a complex relationship (I love it)

 **AsaWhoDreamed** -Thank you! I'm glad you think so, I try. (Love your username BTW)

 **Remy** -My favorites are Roy/Dick, they are just so much fun!

 **The BatThing** -You're the best Cas, thanks for reviewing. Hope you'll update your stuff soon. . . hinthintcoughcough... Haha :)


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: So, I was thinking that one the (many, many) reasons this story is in an "Alternate Universe" is that I love too many aspects of different DC comics/cartoons/tv shows -Okay, not so much the tv shows *ahm* and I stubbornly want to mishmash it all. Also, apparently Gotham and Star city are total neighbors in this story. Ugh. Don't worry, it annoys **me** too...

Also, I recently co-wrote a one-shot with konohaflameninja starring "baby" Roy and Jays (It's on her profile, " **Christmas wishes** "). It was ridiculously fun to write, very different from my normal stuff, but just good times. haha. Check it out if curious ;P

* * *

The Girl Who Disappeared

Chapter 6

Dinah was in the kitchen cooking, when her guys came in, she'd been ready to poke fun at Oliver, as she was sure she'd just made the most amazing pot of chili, but her smile dropped immediately when she saw the two come in.

Roy was clutching his chest, hyperventilating, Oliver next to him, telling him to **calm down**.

The blond woman rushed over, temporarily forgetting the hot stove, and rushing to the two. "What happened?" She asked, helping Roy to sit down. The collar of his white t-shirt had been stretched out by the way he was pulling at it.

"Stop telling him to calm down, Oliver!" She 'suggested', how did he not know that's the one thing you're not supposed to say when someone is having an anxiety attack?

"I-" "can't-" "-breathe" The boy gasped out, and she held his hand.

"You _are_ breathing Roy" She gave him an encouraging smile, realizing that this wasn't like helping anybody else. This felt different-probably because she cared so much for the boy. Last year, he'd lived with her for almost 3 months, while he'd fought his demons and addictions.

"Try and cup your hands and breath into them-" She turned to Oliver, "Do you have a paper bag?" The man shrugged, feeling helpless. He didn't think so...

"Roy. It's okay. This isn't going to last forever...and we're here for you"

The green eyed boy looked at her, and started to relax. Even if his family was ridiculous, he had to admit, he did feel loved right now. The adults in his life were watching over him, they _cared_. The thought helped to steady his breathing and soon, the pain in his chest was going away, the overwhelming feeling of fear started to dissipate. Until he thought of _her._

Ashley was blond just like Dinah, with freckles and blue eyes. She'd dressed up as an ice fairy for Halloween a few months ago, and her hair had been in a long thick braid that she'd called her "Elsa hair". She'd put little silver gem-things all over it, and she really did look like a fairy, it was then that he'd first noticed her. She had been magical. 'had been...?'

His breathing began to quicken again, and he took his hand away from the woman in front of him, ignoring the flash of hurt that passed through her eyes.

"Roy, you're safe...you're safe" She reminded, mentally checking off everything she knew _might_ help. Reassure him. Tell him he was safe. Don't ask why he's panicking, don't judge him...

"...but _she's_ not" Roy managed to say, his breathing still not normal.

"Who's not?" Oliver asked, sitting in front of the teenager. Roy opened his mouth to speak, when suddenly all three heard something "pop" from the kitchen.

"Oh shit!"

"What was that?" Oliver ran after her, and the boy was left alone for enough time to realize he couldn't tell them. He couldn't...they'd _hate_ him.

* * *

"Master Richard"

Dick froze on the spot- He'd been at the entrance door, trying to sneak out. The raven haired teenager had the decency to look shame-faced.

"Alfred!... You look good!" Dick smiled, recovering and walking away from the door, over to the unimpressed butler. "Do you need help with anything?"

"Thank you for offering, Master Dick, but I'd much rather talk about why you were sneaking out."

"That obvious?"

"I dare say I haven't been too impressed with you actions as of late" The man stated, calmly, nicely. It totally unnerved the blue eyed 16 year old. Alfred was the best, he really was, his one flaw was that if he knew something, Bruce Wayne knew it too.

"Alfie, come on, don't be like that." He hadn't been that bad, right?

"Master Richard, you can't go through life being so careless, deceitful..."

"Ow, my heart, Alf! I was just...trying to be there for a friend."

"Oh?"

"Top secret, but...I need to go see a family who's grieving. The Bilodeau's? Their only child is missing...and I know her. I mean, I don't know her, know her, but I've seen her around. She didn't make it home last night...

"Yes, I saw that on the news, the reporter said it was most likely a runaway case- that she hadn't been missing for long, and that the police had only gotten right on it because of her family's connections-"

"But you don't believe that, do you, Alf? That girl was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she's not independent. She follows her parents around like a lost puppy at all those charity events. Why would she run away?"

The butler paused, in truth, he didn't know much about the family, but he _had_ seen them a few times at said events. Dick was right, the young lady had seemed content to walk behind her parents. It appeared that she was quiet, but not necessarily unhappy.

"You're going to their home?"

"They've organized a search party..."

"I'll drive you."

* * *

'Are you coming?' Dick texted Roy for the 3rd time with no response. The raven haired boy was about to go in to the house solo, when an hand slapped his back.

"Hey, sorry. I had to sneak out. I'm _grounded_ " Roy said it like it was the most ridiculous thing. He couldn't believe Oliver hadn't let him off the hook after they'd had their little heart to heart-

"Sorry, man. Well, I probably will be too, it's just that Bruce has been too busy, with ...nightly duties"

"That sucks. So, should we go in?" Roy asked, taking a look at the people that were gathering by the front door of the Bilodeau's. They were wearing suits! The men... they looked like they were at some fancy party, the women... well, they weren't in dresses (most of them) but their clothing was hardly suitable for the job at hand. What was wrong with these people? Roy scoffed, looking over at Dick.

"Oh good, I'm not the only one wearing jeans..." He muttered, before noticing a VERY familiar face. "- and you brought Alfred"

"When Master Richard informed me of the situation, I decided to join in the efforts to find Miss. Bilodeau"

"..." Roy gave 'Master' Dick an accusatory glare, but all he got in return was a reassuring smile. Why did Dick always have to be positive? It was _sickening._

"Well, come on, let's go, I see Ashley's parents!" Dick hurried them both, ignoring the judgmental green eyes of Roy Harper.

* * *

The search party pursued signs of Ashley all over the woods behind her family home, but nothing had been found. Not a clue, not a piece of clothing... Roy had known that. From somewhere deep inside his tormented memory, he had _known_ they'd find nothing in the woods.

After a few long hours, the party had been split up; some had continued to look in the woods, others had been sent to the surrounding large areas. The lake, the parks... the police had ventured to the sketchier parts of the city. That's when it hit Roy. She wouldn't be in Gotham City at all... because that's where he'd picked her up from.

They'd driven for almost an hour...

Her long blonde hair had blown in the wind- his top had been down, and she'd smiled! It was like she was discovering the world for the first time... but ...

"Dick...We have to go to Star City... t-to _Gracie's_ "

"What?... Why...?" The boy asked, as he fought with some tree branches to get to a clearing. His hands were scratched up, and he was cursing himself for not having worn gloves.

"I... I don't know." but he _did._ Gracie's was a dumpy little gastropub that sat on the edge of the City. They never carded anyone, and if they did, they didn't care if it was a fake. Well, no, that wasn't true, Ivan Uno cared, but he only worked on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Roy had the misfortune of meeting him once. Ivan had asked for his ID, and Roy had given him a borrowed fake (from a friend of a friend) and started going in. Ivan had stopped him and asked him, "What's your birthdate?". It had been mortifying, as Roy hadn't bothered to look at the license beforehand; he had dumbly responded, "...1996?"

Humiliating. He'd waited outside all night for his friends (who had promised to sneak him out some food and drink). The flashing lights of pink and red on the "Gracie's" sign had tormented him for days.

That was what he remembered now, when he thought of Ashley. Ashley, and her short black dress; Ashley, and her long blonde hair blowing in the wind; Ashley, and the sign...

* * *

In the end, the boys had not gone to Star city, they'd found a payphone and anonymously sent in a tip. Hours later, when Alfred had driven them back to Wayne Manor, they'd sat in silence as they watched the breaking news.

They didn't speak. Not when the reporter spoke to the police commissioner. Not when they showed video of Ashley's parents. Not when it was revealed that a body had been found.

 _Ashley's_ body.

Ashley's body in the black dumpster behind _Gracie's_.

To Be Continued...

* * *

Woah, longest chapter of my life. Hope you enjoyed it, please review and let me know what you thought!

Special thanks to:

 **Cas** \- I love your description of the Batfam/Arrowfam! More gripping? that was such a compliment! Thank you, and after you asked if I'd changed anything up, I realized I actually proofread my last chapter. Haha, who knew such a thing could help?

 **mariovela23:** Gracias por leer :) ! Eres el mejor!

 **LuxYoung** \- Thank you for your review, hope you enjoyed this chapter :)

 **Alta** -Thank you for taking the time to do so, very appreciated!

 **Jay** \- I know! why must he be so tortured? haha.

 **AsaWhoDreamed** -Ollie's the best...sometimes...kind of ;p


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you so much, wonderful readers, for the reviews! Hope you enjoy :)

The Girl Who Disappeared

Chapter 7

Green Arrow and Black Canary didn't get home till well past 2 in the morning. The blond archer had gone straight to bed and thrown himself down (costume and all). It had been a rough night, he'd been distracted. He couldn't stop thinking about his son, and what he'd said before going into a full blown anxiety attack. How was it possible that he couldn't "remember" what he'd done the previous night? That was strange. Was he messing with drugs again? He had to be. Oliver hadn't handled that very well the last time... Had backhanded Roy unnecessarily hard and basically kicked him out. Yeah, he'd known the boy would go to 'mom', and she'd handle it better than him, but _still,_ it was harsh. He'd regret that forever.

Still, even with those thoughts creating a headache, the man had been ready to fall asleep; until Dinah rushed into the bedroom with panic on her face, "Oliver, he's not here!"

* * *

"Master Richard has a friend over..." Alfred said, when Batman arrived that night. Pulling his cowl off, Bruce Wayne gave him a look that said 'Care to elaborate?"

"Oliver Queen's son."

"Roy? What's he doing here? What are they up to?" Bruce thought out loud, as he knew he could with just Alfred around. The man filled him in on the events of the night. The search party, the body found, and that added to how the boys had acted over blood found on Roy's car, plus the fact that they'd been together that night...

Well, it didn't take a genius to figure out that they'd seen something; they were somehow involved and the man's blood quickly began to boil. He'd taught Richard to be smart, but this? The worst part was knowing that Richard hadn't trusted him with whatever was going on.

"Are the boys asleep?"

"Yes, they fell asleep after a while...I thought it'd be okay to let them. I tried ringing Mr. Queen, but wasn't able to get a hold of him, I'm afraid."

"That's okay, Alfred, thanks...I have a number he'll answer." After giving Alfred said number, he showered and changed, trying to calm down, but all he could think of was how Richard had basically lied to him, how the trust he thought was there...wasn't. It was almost 3 in the morning when he finally felt ready to talk to the young man, Alfred had phoned Oliver, who was on his way, and so, figuring the boys would be awake soon enough, Bruce walked to the TV room, where they had fallen asleep.

Dick was jerked awake by a a hand roughly pulling his arm, and a voice demanding. "We need to talk" it growled, and he could only follow the man...

The 16 year old knew, that despite what people might think, he _did_ have a superpower. His blue eyes. He widened them now, and scrunched his eyebrows.

"...I know you're probably mad...I'm sorry-"

" _Probably_ mad? Oh no, Richard, I'm _there._ "

Oh. So maybe the eyes didn't work all the time.

The boy looked away, not knowing what to say to the man. He didn't know how much Bruce knew, and despite his current feelings of horror at Roy, the dude was still one of his best friends. He couldn't just throw him under the bus.

"Tell me what's going on." The man demanded, and there was a nasty silence for a few minutes, before Dick could open his mouth.

"I..."

" _Now_ , Richard" Bruce slapped the table. The sound made Dick turn quickly to look up at the man staring at him. He saw a horrifying mix of Batman, Bruce Wayne, and father, and still... Dick couldn't.

"I can't"

"What?!" He flinched at that... Bruce was using his Batman voice.

Oh, fuck. Great, this was perfect, Bruce was going to kill him and it was all Roy's fault. At the thought, he froze. Suddenly, exaggerating about death was forever ruined.

"Bruce..." He wasn't sure what he was going to say, luckily for him the doorbell rang, and the two were forced to leave the conversation for another time.

* * *

Oliver and Dinah ran to their boy, but with different intent. Dinah had gone over to check on him, and nudged him awake carefully. "Roy, sweetie..."

"Get your ass up right now!" Oliver added, grabbing his arm and basically pulling the boy up from off the couch, startling him awake. Oh, hell... What do they know? was his immediate thought.

"Ow!" The boy finally managed, as he wiggled out of Oliver's grip. Bruce and Dick were coming in to the room, and he'd rather not get yelled at in front of them.

"Oliver" Dinah said, but really what she meant was, 'Don't yell at him in front of other people. He'll get defensive.'****

"Do you know what time it is?" The blond asked, clearly beyond angry, and why shouldn't he be? Oliver had expected that Roy would be at home, sulking maybe, over being grounded, but still in his room, not a city away at 3 in the morning.

"..."

"Ollie, Dinah" Bruce interrupted, seeing that their child was also keeping his mouth shut. "Perhaps we can chat for a minute...in the cave?"

When the adults had left, there was a silence that lingered for a long time. Finally, Dick looked at Roy and spoke.

"... I think...I think you need to tell them the truth"

"I don't remember the _truth_ " Roy spit out, glaring at his friend, but not moving an inch. They'd known each other for years, had always had things in common, and yet Roy couldn't relate.

"Right, but there's a fucking dead body!

"Don't you think I know that?!" With that, he left the room, and stormed outside, into the cold night. The raven haired boy stilled, unsure of himself, and then finally,

"Bruce, Ollie! He's leaving!"

* * *

It was Dinah that went after him, as he knew she would be. She was the one that could talk to him without physical violence being involved. He'd started walking in the cold night, having left his coat in the manor.

The blond woman ran after him with it in her hands.

"Hey, put your coat on" Was all she said, and that's all it took for him to stop, turn around, and look at her with the most miserable eyes she'd ever seen.

She gave him the black coat, and he quietly put it on, before his eyes began to water, his mouth shut.

"We love you. You know that. Whatever it is, please let us help..."

Green eyes looked at the snow then.

"Dinah... I was with Ashley the night she went missing. I **don't** remember what happened, but tonight...or last night" He knew it was probably "morning" already. "Her body was found. She's dead...I ...I..." He couldn't say more before the racking sobs of torment engulfed him, and Dinah watched as he began to pull away from her.

In an instant, she'd wrapped her arms around him, and let herself fall into the snow with him. It was a lot of information to take in, and she felt like world's worst...future stepmom? Bruce and Alfred had filled in some holes, and she cursed at herself for not having paid more attention.

"Roy...this is a lot, I get it, but we'll get through it together, okay? We'll find out what happened to that poor girl. You don't have to be afraid." She told him sincerely. "We'll figure it out..."

To Be Continued...

Embarrassing story time: I finished this chapter a month ago, but wanted to re-read it and then post it. So today I re-read it, added the last...8 words, and called it good. So, yikes. sorry for the delay. xD


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thanks for the reviews wonderful people, hope you enjoy this chapter.

Two dedications for this chapter

1\. To **MY** "Gracie's", haha omg, I'm sorry to tarnish your good name. Gracie's in my favorite Gastropub, even though I don't drink...but they have the best nachos of my life...and ush, I need to go back, like yesterday ...(LOL, I just had to call my BF to tell him that we need to go get nachos this weekend. Anyway! I love you **Gracie's**...)

2., My dear friend **Konohaflameninja** … You're so wonderful girl, thank you for writing w/ me. Can't wait to post our cute little Roy story, you literally help me with my Spanish all the time. I feel like I've learned so many words from writing w/ you. Sorry my Spanish grammar sucks D: LOL

 **The Girl Who Disappeared**

 **Chapter 8**

Green Arrow #45 _"I lashed out at the poor kid, but I was so scared. So disappointed. Truth is, I wasn't disappointed in Roy...I was disappointed in **myself** " -Oliver Queen_

* * *

Roy's head hung low, and he found his messy hair, that hung a little into his eyes, incredibly interesting. Richard Grayson was next to him, his head held high, nodding and shaking his head and imputing his thoughts and theories when he thought were necessary. Suddenly it had been decided that a trip to 'Gracie's' was necessary, to check the surveillance cameras.

Batman and Robin had gone, and that made sense, but when Dinah decided to go to, Roy knew this was a trap.

Oliver Queen hadn't spoken to him, he hadn't looked at him, he had just stood quietly, in the living room, where they were. He had paced, and then finally he had sat next to the green eyed 16 year old.

After a long bout of uncomfortable silence, Roy picked up his head and looked at the man through his eyelashes. Ollie was looking at him, with an expression that the teenager couldn't read. He knew what 'I hate you, you're a pathetic drug addict, get out of my house' looked like, and this wasn't it. Not yet anyway.

Oliver Queen was the Green Arrow. The Green Arrow was Speedy's trainer, mentor and boss. The Green Arrow could do anything. Oliver Queen was a billionaire, owner of Queen Industries, and Q-Core. He was a playboy, loud-mouth...someone who was comfortable letting his feelings be known. Ollie sometimes liked to pretend he was Roy's father, and the teenager loved when that happened, when he felt less alone, when he felt supported, but sometimes...

Roy lived in constant fear that he was going to get kicked out again, that he was never going to be good enough...and surely being involved in a ...murder, suicide, ...whatever it was, would be a good reason for Oliver to kick him out. _Again._

"Were you high?" The man finally asked; he wasn't yelling, or out of control, but somehow the calmness felt worse. Roy could feel the tears prick at his eyes again.

"...I..."

"It's a simple question"

Roy gulped, trying to control himself. He was shaking.

"Oliver, I promise that...I've been clean. I haven't done anything, I mean, I wouldn't have, I..." He didn't actually know. He didn't know anything, he didn't _remember,_ and that was clear to the man beside him.

"A girl is dead, Roy... you should have a better answer than that."

"But I _don't,_ Ollie! And yeah, you can go back to telling me what a worthless person I am, and a burden, and how you're _disappointed_ in me and... I don't have to stay at your house, I can-"

Oliver put his hands up, he couldn't negate that he had called Roy those things, but he did have to clarify something he'd realized not too long ago. "Please stop, Roy. I know the drug use was... I know I wasn't there for you. I should have been. We've talked about that before, but I don't think I ever apologized..."

Roy looked up at that, Oliver wasn't exactly known for his apologies. He always thought he was right...and he usually was, and that's why Roy feared the man's opinions and judgements.

"I _was_ wrong. I'm always going to be in Dinah's debt for helping you through that... She's a much stronger person than I am. It took me a long time to realize, but, in the end, I wasn't disappointed in you...I was disappointed in myself"*

This was news. This was ALL news.

"...but what does that mean now?"

Oliver shrugged. "It means that we're in this shit together. No matter what, we'll deal with it together."

Oh.

Roy wasn't sure he could believe it, but just to HEAR it? It meant the whole world, and he let his guard down, hugging the man, who, after a moment of surprise, hugged him back.

* * *

It had been ridiculously easy to recover the surveillance tapes of that night and Batman, Robin, Black Canary, Green Arrow, and Speedy watched the computer screen intently as Roy and Ashley went in to the Gastropub, when they came out, almost 20 minutes later, they looked completely messed up- but it wasn't just them. It was everyone.

It wasn't from drinking, there was a couple that went in and out in under 10 minutes, and they couldn't even walk straight. There was a group of three girls that came out in under 6 minutes, all looking dizzy, stumbling over each other and falling to the ground.

"What the hell..." Dinah muttered, wondering what had happened. They'd have to go back to 'Gracie's' and do some more digging.

The surveillance tape of the back showed how Ashley and Roy came out. She was laughing hysterically, he was grabbing the side of the building to try and walk straight, but it wasn't happening, he swaying.

They didn't make it far before a group of young men were harassing them. They started with Ashley, grabbing her, trying to take her purse, and jewelry. Roy was still trying to hold himself with the wall, though he did make a valiant effort at one point to get to her. Ashley still seemed to be laughing hysterically, but tears were in her eyes, much like Roy's now, as he watched.

She had been so beautiful, and kind, and shy. He had tried 4 times to ask her out. If he'd only stopped at 3...

If he hadn't …

He felt his heart begin to race, and he couldn't breathe. The wall were closing in, and as he saw her, and he watched himself get knocked out, the bruise on his forehead suddenly made sense...

He was a hero, wasn't he? He was supposed to be. He was supposed to save people. That was the mission he'd signed up for.

Why hadn't he saved her?

Dinah was asking Bruce to stop the video, they adults in the room could finish watching it later. Oliver was holding him up now, because not only could the boy not breathe, he was shaking again. He was losing his mind, and if he hadn't been on drugs then, he desperately wanted to be on them now.

He needed to forget what he'd just seen.

He hadn't saved her.

Ashley, with her blond hair blowing, and her black dress.

She had died _because_ of him.

They'd try to convince him otherwise, he knew, but he would always know the truth.

It was _his_ fault.

To Be Continued...

One more chapter...or two because I hate odd numbers.

Please review! :)


	9. Chapter 9

DIES A MILLION DEATHS. I had almost finished this story and then accidentally deleted the chapter. LOOOOL. Boo. Sucks to suck.

The Girl Who Disappeared  
Chapter 9

 _11 months later._

It had taken a lot of therapy to stop blaming himself, and he still found himself, every once in a while feeling like he could have prevented Ashley Bilodeau's death. Green Arrow and Black Canary had quickly found out what had happened that night at Gracie's. Count Vertigo had decided to test his new drugs on the unsuspecting establishment. Roy's 'parents' had quickly made him pay, but still... it hadn't exactly made things better.

A young girl was still dead.

Roy hated the pity, he'd hated how Oliver and Dinah had pushed their wedding back, he hated how he'd been appointed best man, when really, Ollie had probably been dying to ask his actual best friend, Hal.

Still, here he was, tuxedo making him uncomfortable, but standing next to his father, as his 'mother' walked down the aisle. The two were ridiculously in love and it was mostly sickening, but the newly turned 17 year old was happy that they had each other, especially since he didn't exactly plan on staying close after he graduated from high school. He needed to get away.

He only half paid attention to their vows, until, interesting enough, his name was brought up.

-...And you've been my family for a long time, I'll love you forever, you and Roy are the most precious things to me- Dinah had said, and Roy smiled as he saw how Oliver's eyes had filled with happy unshed tears.

* * *

His 'best man toast' had been awkward and full of 'ummm's,

"...but yeah, um, I don't know, Oliver is..." He looked at the man briefly, next to his bride, and the smallest of smiles appeared on the teenager's face. "Oliver is the best dad in the world, and Dinah is the coolest, strongest person I know, and they're basically disgustingly perfect for each other. So...um, yeah, It's disgusting" He'd finished lamely, though Dinah and Oliver had the courtesy to laugh, and were soon followed by their guests.

Roy had spent the rest of the night avoiding everyone he knew, much like he'd done for the past year, until Richard Grayson had found him coming out of the staff kitchen, with a champagne glass in hand.

"You're not going to tell are you?" He asked sarcastically, not caring. "For old times sake, can you keep a secret?"

The raven haired gave him a look that was filled with sympathy (which Roy hated), and worry (which Roy hated), and friendship (which Roy tolerated.)

"Donna's been looking for you, man, she misses you..." They all did. Roy had avoided them all with expertise for months, though none of his friends had stopped trying to get him to hangout. Wally had managed to get him out 3 weeks ago to see a movie, but Roy had just fallen asleep through most of it, and hadn't wanted to talk after.

"Look Dick, I don't want to do this..."

"Roy, it just seems like you're not overcoming this..."

" _This. This"_ Roy repeated as if the word was poison. " _This_ as in, when I let a girl _die_ because I was too messed up on drugs? Yeah, you're right. I'm not overcoming _this_ " Roy gritted out, pushing Dick out of his way, but the blue eyed teenager just grabbed his arm.

"Don't forget that I was with you Roy. I picked you up that night, and I helped you look for her...and I was there." It hadn't exactly been a walk in the park for him either. It was especially hard to keep everything under wraps. Richard Grayson didn't know when the lies stopped and truths began anymore. Dick. Robin. Bruce. Batman. There were always secrets.

"So?"

"So, I get to be worried about you. I get to tell you that your friends miss you, and that you look like shit"

"...You've always been a bit too Judgey, _Dick_ " Roy told him, flipping him off and taking off outside. He could somewhat appreciate the ridiculous wedding reception. The grounds were never ending, and there were white and yellow flowers everywhere. Gazebos everywhere he looked, food, lights, people, drinks, more lights, it was making him dizzy...

* * *

He'd finally managed to find an empty gazebo, and he'd been content to just sit on the floor of it, pulling his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them, trying not to think. He didn't want to think about the year that he'd wasted trying to 'get better', or how he'd recently began drinking heavier than he ever had before. He didn't want to think about all of the people and things he had lost...

He was alone. It was fine, or that's what he kept telling himself...He wanted to go back in time. Maybe to two years ago. Maybe to when he was 9, scrappy and thrilled to learn everything Green Arrow. Maybe to before then, to Navajo dreams... or maybe so far back that there was nothing.

Yes. Still black where no sound or feeling could exist sounded nice.

"There you are" Oliver interrupted his morbid thoughts, about an hour later.

Roy looked up and tried to smile, really, he did, but there was so much emptiness now, and where there wasn't emptiness there was hatred, mostly toward himself. he hated that he was making Oliver worry. It wasn't fair.

"...Here I am"

The blond man went to sit down next to his 17 year old son, so close to 'adulthood', though Oliver knew that he himself had only really become an adult in his mid-30's...when he'd adopted a little boy... and that this person next to him was nowhere close to being able to function on his own. Roy had always been fiercely independent, but he was so different now...

It had been the honor of his life to raise the little spitfire, who he hadn't always gotten a long with, but had made him a better man. A father. It was also the tragedy of his life to see the kid like this. Broken. Full of misery and self loathing. The drugs wouldn't be far behind, he knew this. He didn't need anyone telling him what was obvious, but they had told him anyway. He was so sick and tired of hearing the word 'relapse'.

"I liked your speech"

Roy rolled his eyes, but rested his head on Oliver shoulder anyway. He was tired.

"Yeah? Which part?"

"The part where you called me the best dad in the world. I'm gonna get a mug that says that, and put it on my desk at work. Oh, or I can get it painted on the Arrow-plane"

"You're so dumb"

"...I know" Ollie told him, with a wicked grin. Sarcasm and jokes usually got him by, but he could be serious sometimes. There were people who he could show his heart to.

"...but really, Roy, thank you. I know I haven't always been the most attentive dad...but I want you know that I _see_ you. I see you struggling, I see you ...changed and hurt, and I won't insult you by pretending I understand what you're going through, but I am in your corner okay? I am in your fucking corner against anyone" -That included the demons nobody could see.

The teenager didn't say anything. Just sat and stared at his shoes that had suddenly become a thousand times times more interesting. Despite his fancy tuxedo, he had worn his black and white converse. Everyone had disapproved, but he had said he didn't care. He wasn't going to wear uncomfortable dress shoes all night. The suit was bad enough and the bow-tie was the worst, but he had already gotten rid of that, and unbuttoned his collar.

As the minutes dragged, and Roy still couldn't find any words for this man beside me, the person who had let him down so many times, the man who had saved him, the man that meant so much to him...his father...

Oliver finally put an arm around him. "You are not alone" He whispered, and that was enough for Roy's wall to crumble. Slowly at first, as he made a face that meant he was trying to control his tears, but then they came anyway. Not just tears but heart wrenching uncontrollable sobbing. It wasn't the first time they'd been here in the past 11 months, which is maybe why he had been able to control himself faster.

"I'm sorry. This is you wedding. You should go be with your guests..." He managed to say as curtly as possible in fear that he would break down again.

"No...It's okay. Dinah can keep them entertained" The festivities had died down anyway, and while he was probably supposed to still be near Dinah in case anyone else wanted a picture with them, that could wait. He was right where he needed to be.

"Dick found me and told me I might want to check up on you..."

The teenager frowned at that and rolled his eyes. "Dick is a busybody."

"-Or a really good friend?"

"...Or that" Roy admitted, and then let silence engulf the night air again. "I don't know where I'm supposed to go from here, Ollie. I just...I'm tired. I'm tired of being me.-

The statement broke Oliver's heart, but he had the wisdom to reassure the kid without being patronizing.

"It's okay if you don't know, Roy. You went through a traumatic experience and it's okay to feel broken, and afraid, and tired. Feel everything that you need to feel...but don't give up. There are so many people that love you, and I...I don't know what's going to happen either, but I do know that I'm here. Dinah is here. And you're here. We're a family...and together we kick ass"

Roy snorted at that, still with a heaviness in his heart, but feeling like the island of his life wasn't so desolate after all. It would be a fight not to go back to the wonderful drugs that could make him forget...

Maybe he'd struggle every single day.

but he wasn't alone.

And that was enough to know for now.

The End

* * *

A/N: Mannnn. That was fun to write. Ollie and Roy are one of my favorite things ever. They just never seem to get a happy ending do they? I was personally offended that the Green Arrow series ended in issue #50 with #SPOILERS Oliver and Dinah 'breaking up' and Roy dead. Like WTF. Who do I need to speak to to give my #ArrowFam a happy ending? I am not impressed. #COMPLAIN.

I love all Roy/Ollie stories ...and Dick/Bruce stories, so if you know any good ones, feel free to direct me to them.

A million thank you's to everyone that read/reviewed this story. Annnnddd. That's that. I'll have to go to Gracie's tonight to celebrate the ending of this story. Haha.


End file.
